Johan Djourou profile
Name
Johan Djourou
Born
January 18, 1987
Ivory Coast
Position
Defender
Squad Number
20
Previous Club(s)
Etoile Carouge FC
Joined Arsenal
August 01, 2003
Arsenal Debut
Manchester City (a)
Carling Cup
October 27, 2004
Won 2-1
Johan Djourou feels like he is starting his Arsenal career afresh this season.
The Swiss centre back completed only one game under Arsène Wenger last season. He was on loan at Birmingham until January and then picked up an unfortunate injury in his comeback game against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium. He returned as a substitute at Derby in May and played an entire 90 minutes at Sunderland in the final outing of last season.
It was a difficult campaign and a blip in an otherwise smooth rise to prominence at Arsenal. Johan went to an elite Swiss football academy and made his professional debut for Etoile Carouge before signing for Arsène Wenger in 2003.
He started as a central midfielder but has emerged as a classy, ball-playing centre back. His passing and anticipation are also major assets.
Johan made 27 starts for Arsenal in 2006/07 and won plaudits at St Andrews. He also went to Euro 2008 but failed to feature. However now he is back at Emirates Stadium, Johan is looking to kick on.
MY YEAR
May
Johan played 90 minutes in the first two May fixtures but was back on the bench in the third. He was completely omitted from the squad which travelled to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday, May 16 but returned to the substitutes bench for the final game of the season.
April
After featuring in the month’s first three fixtures, including a start against Wigan on April 11, Johan suffered a knee injury that would keep him out of the subsequent three fixtures. But the Swiss defender was back on the bench against Boro on April 26 and also included in the squad for the Champions League Semi-Final first leg against Man United three days later.
March
Johan played 90 minutes against West Brom, Burnley, Hull, and Blackburn and was included among the subs in the other two March fixtures. As ever, the Swiss defender looked classy at the heart of Arsenal’s defence alongside Kolo Toure or William Gallas. At the start of March, Johan spoke to the Official Matchday Programme about being ‘ready’. "I am trying to take my chance," he said. "I told myself at the start of the season that I have to work hard even if I’m not first choice because I’m still young, but I think I’ve shown to people that I’m ready for this.”
20. Johan Djourou - Full Arsenal Record
| Prem Lge | Europe | FA Cup | Lge Cup | C. Shield | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl |
| 2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 2005-2006 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 |
| 2006-2007 | 18+3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27+3 | 0 |
| 2007-2008 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 2008-2009 | 13+2 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25+4 | 0 |
| Totals | 38+7 | 0 | 11+2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67+10 | 0 |
Key:
- Prem Lge = Barclays Premier League
- C. Shield = Community Shield
- Europe = UEFA Champions League
- Ap = Appearances
- FA Cup = FA Cup sponsored by E-on
- Gl = Goals Scored
- Lge Cup = Carling Cup
Johan Djourou - News
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Mon, Jun 8, 2009
TV Online: My Top Three - Johan Djourou -
Mon, Apr 27, 2009
Djourou - We will be confident at Man United -
Thu, Apr 23, 2009
Almunia, Djourou and Adebayor close to return -
Tue, Apr 14, 2009
Diaby back but Djourou out of Villarreal tie -
Mon, Mar 23, 2009
TV Online: Djourou - My Perfect Footballer -
Mon, Mar 16, 2009
TV Online Free Video: Djourou Interview -
Mon, Mar 9, 2009
Djourou - I can step up and stay in the team -
Wed, Mar 4, 2009
TV Online: Djourou goes under the 'Spotlight' -
Wed, Mar 4, 2009
Djourou - The pressure is on Aston Villa now -
Mon, Feb 23, 2009
TV Online Free Video: Djourou Interview
